Solar Probe Plus – Delta IV H/Star-48BV – Canaveral SLC-37B – 12.08.2018 в 07:31 UTC

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/08/13/photos-delta-4-heavy-takes-off-from-cape-canaveral/

Photos: Delta 4-Heavy takes off from Cape Canaveral
August 13, 2018 | Stephen Clark

Driven by three RS-68A main engines, a United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket lifted off early Sunday from Cape Canaveral carrying NASA's Parker Solar Probe on a historic mission to study the sun.

The heavy-duty rocket, standing 233 feet (71 meters) tall, climbed away from Cape Canaveral's Complex 37B launch pad at 3:31 a.m. EDT (0731 GMT) Sunday, a day after officials scrubbed launch attempt due to an alarm in the final two minutes of the countdown.

Three Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-68A main engines ignited in a staggered step-by-step fashion beginning at approximately T-minus 7 seconds, then throttled up to generate a combined 2.1 million pounds of thrust as the Delta 4-Heavy took off from Cape Canaveral.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe was bolted on top of the Delta 4-Heavy, the biggest rocket in the world, to begin a $1.5 billion mission to explore the sun's corona for the first time.

These photos show the Delta 4-Heavy's launch in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

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Credit: Walter Scriptunas II / Scriptunas Images / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Walter Scriptunas II / Scriptunas Images / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Walter Scriptunas II / Scriptunas Images / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Walter Scriptunas II / Scriptunas Images / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Walter Scriptunas II / Scriptunas Images / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Walter Scriptunas II / Scriptunas Images / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Walter Scriptunas II / Scriptunas Images / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now

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NASA's Parker Solar Probe Launch - UP CLOSE VIEWS

AmericaSpace

Опубликовано: 12 авг. 2018 г.

(6:00)

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— НАСА Пресс-кит, Parker Solar Probe. Миссия прикосновения к Солнцу (NASA Press Kit, Parker Solar Probe. A Mission to Touch the Sun) (на англ.) август 2018 в pdf - 2,76 Мб
 "Миссия NASA «Parker Solar Probe» произведет революцию в нашем понимании Солнца. Миссия «коснется Солнца», пролетев прямо через солнечную корону, столкнувшись с жестокой жарой и радиацией и предоставив беспрецедентно близкие наблюдения за звездой, у которой мы живем. Эти наблюдения будут касаться нерешенных научных вопросов, таких, например, как создаётся солнечная энергия Солнца и как ускоряется солнечный ветер. Это также принесет пользу людям на Земле, внося важный вклад в нашу способность прогнозировать основные события космической погоды, которые влияют на жизнь и технологии на Земле. Такая информация может пролить свет не только на то, как Солнце управляет космической средой в нашей собственной солнечной системе, но и обеспечит понимание других звезд во всей Вселенной. Чтобы раскрыть тайны короны, Parker Solar Probe будет иметь четыре инструмента, предназначенные для изучения магнитных полей, плазменных и энергетических частиц и изображения короны и солнечного ветра. Миссия будет использовать семь полётов Венеры в течение почти семи лет, чтобы постепенно уменьшать свою орбиту вокруг Солнца и выполнить в общей сложности 24 близких пролёта. Космический аппарат приблизится к Солнцу примерно на 3,8 миллиона миль (6,2 миллиона километров), гораздо ближе, чем раньше.
 Чтобы выполнить эти беспрецедентные исследования, космические аппараты и приборы защищены от солнечного тепла теплозащитным щитом толщиной до 4,5 дюйма (11,4 см), который выдерживает температуры почти 2500 градусов по Фаренгейту [1370 градусов Цельсия]». Обзор аппарата, его миссии и экспериментов, также приводятся некоторые основные факты по солнечной физике.

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NASA EDGE: Parker Solar Probe Tower Rollback - Live

NASA EDGE

Опубликовано: 10 авг. 2018 г.

(28:35)

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— Яньпин Го, Джеймс МакАдамс, Мартин Озимек, Вэнь-Йонг Шён, «Обзор проектных миссий Solar Probe Plus» и «Профиль миссии» (Yanping Guo, James McAdams, Martin Ozimek, Wen-Jong Shyong, Solar Probe Plus Mission Design Overview and Mission Profile) (на англ.) «24th International Symposium on Space Flight Dynamics, Laurel, Maryland, USA, 5 - 9 May, 2014» в pdf - 1,44 Мб
 «Миссия Solar Probe Plus, запланированная на запуск в 2018 году, впервые отправится на Солнце в пределах 10 солнечных радиусов (R  S ) от центра Солнца. Космический аппарат приблизится к Солнцу через серию эллиптических гелиоцентрических витков по внутренней солнечной системе. Перегелий орбит будут постепенно уменьшаться через влияние Венеры до достижения 9,86 R  S . Ключевыми элементами проекта базовой линии являются запуск, семь гравиманёвров у Венеры и беспрецедентные 24 солнечных столкновения в течение 7-летней миссии. Научные наблюдения и измерения начнутся через три месяца после запуска на первом перигелии 36 R  S , который станет новым рекордом сближения космического корабля с Солнцем и будет продолжаться на протяжении всей миссии с частыми посещениями Солнца 3-4 раза в год.

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Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 4 ч. назад

At 1330 UTC Aug 14, Parker Solar Probe is now 2.38 million km from Earth, on course for its Venus encounter in early October.

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milind kawli‏ @milind_kawli 1 ч. назад

В ответ @planet4589

@planet4589 can you confirm that #ParkerSolarProbe achieve desired orbit?? @torybruno of @ulalaunch confirm that #DeltaIVHeavy performed as expected but there is no word from @northropgrumman about there 3rd stage performance!!

Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 1 ч. назад

Confirmed. Post launch tracking data from JPL shows that PSP is on course, orbital parameters look extremely close to prelaunch estimates.

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https://www.sncorp.com/press-releases/snc-nasa-parker-solar-probe/

SIERRA NEVADA CORPORATION PROVIDES HARDWARE FOR MISSION TO THE SUN
NASA's Parker Solar Probe Spacecraft Begins Record-Breaking Journey

SPARKS, Nev., August 13, 2018 – As NASA's Parker Solar Probe spacecraft begins its historic journey toward the sun, it is equipped with components supplied by Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) that will perform mission-critical functions. The components were provided from both SNC's Louisville, Colorado and Durham, North Carolina production facilities to the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for the spacecraft.

"This mission is pushing the boundaries of spacecraft engineering to deliver much needed answers," said Matt Johnson, vice president of programs for SNC's Space Systems business area. "Space weather is causing tangible negative effects on satellites today, and we're proud to be part of a mission that will help us understand the origin.

The Parker Solar Probe will travel seven times closer to the sun than any previous mission. The mission aims to help scientists better understand solar wind, flares and energy particles, which creates 'space weather' throughout the solar system. Space weather can have negative impacts on satellites, harm humans in space and affect power systems and communications on Earth. Launched August 12 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Parker Solar Probe will travel up to 430,000 mph and its heat shield will reach temperatures of 2,500°F.

SNC Parts Provided:

[/li]
• Water Coolant Pump Motors:
• Circulate a gallon of water through tubes, effectively cooling the solar arrays
  

[/li][li]Passive thermal louvers:

[/li]
• Radiate excess heat without drawing power away from critical systems
  

[/li][li]Solar Array Drive Actuators

[/li]
• Tuck and deploy solar arrays around the 4.5-inch composite heat shield
  

[/li][li]Antenna Gimbal Actuator

[/li]
• Move and point the communications antenna back to Earth with extreme precision
  

[/li][li]Electronic control unit

[/li]
• Provides smooth control for the solar array drive and antenna gimbal actuators
  

[/li][/LIST]

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Parker Solar Probe - orbit and timeline (4K)

SciNews

Опубликовано: 12 авг. 2018 г.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe was launched by a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket on 12 August 2018, at 07:31 UTC (03:31 EDT). On 28 September 2018, the probe will flyby Venus and on 1 November 2018 will make its first close approach to the Sun. The spacecraft will transmit its first science observations in December 2018.

Credit: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

(2:53)

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http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-08/14/c_137390209.htm

China's radio heliograph may cooperate with NASA's spacecraft in solar observation: scientist
Source: Xinhua | 2018-08-14 22:19:42 | Editor: Yurou

HOHHOT, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese scientist says the country's solar radio heliograph is likely to cooperate with NASA's recently launched Parker Solar Probe to study the Sun.

The Chinese Spectral Radioheliograph (CSRH), built at Ming'antu, a radio quiet region in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, consists of 100 antennas with different frequency spectra covering an area of 10 square km. It can monitor solar activities on a wide imaging resolution spectrum.

According to Yan Yihua, president of Division E Sun and Heliosphere, International Astronomical Union, the observation range of the CSRH and the Parker Solar Probe will overlap and it's possible that the two will cooperate in the future for specific scientific tasks.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe, the fastest spacecraft in history, launched on Sunday, is on a mission to study the Sun at closer range than any other spacecraft.

During its mission lifetime of seven years, the probe will complete 24 orbits of the Sun and fly within 6.1 million km of the Sun's surface at closest approach.

"Data from both sides could corroborate and supplement each other," said Yan.

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http://russian.news.cn/2018-08/14/c_137389318.htm

Китайский радиогелиограф и американский солнечный зонд "Паркер" будут взаимодействовать в наблюдениях за Солнцем
2018-08-14 14:49:56丨Russian.News.Cn

Хух-Хото, 14 августа /Синьхуа/ -- После запуска в США солнечного зонда "Паркер" китайское степное "Небесное око" начало пристально следить за аппаратом, также планируется наладить взаимодействие с соответствующей стороной в области исследований Солнца, сообщил глава Отделения Солнца и гелиосферы Международного астрономического союза и заведующий Лабораторией по изучению солнечной активности Академии наук Китая Янь Ихуа.

Зонд "Паркер" был запущен в США 12 августа в 15:31 по пекинскому времени. Он будет двигаться вокруг Солнца по эллиптической орбите и, выполнив семь гравитационных маневров около Венеры, будет постепенно приближаться к Солнцу, минимальное расстояние между зондом и звездой составит 6,1 млн км.

Миссия зонда рассчитана на семь лет. За это время китайское степное "Небесное око" - Минъаньтуский спектральный радиогелиограф /MUSER/ во Внутренней Монголии - станет по своим возможностям самым мощным среди подобных устройств в мире. Это означает, что американский зонд и китайский радиогелиограф смогут еще больше взаимодействовать в изучении Солнца.

В будущем, по мере введения в строй нового оборудования, область наблюдений китайского радиогелиографа за солнечной радиацией расширится с 700 тыс. км от поверхности Солнца до 7 млн км и пересечется с областью наблюдений, осуществляемых зондом "Паркер".

Работа "Паркера" и китайского степного "Небесного ока" тесно переплетается, как по области наблюдений, так и по стоящим перед ними конкретными задачами, в частности, в изучении солнечного ветра и межпланетных мерцаний. Это позволит осуществлять одновременный анализ данных, полученных двумя сторонами, сверять их и дополнять, сказал Янь Ихуа.

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Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 6 ч. назад

When it enetered solar orbit on Aug 13, Parker Solar Probe was 151.5 million km from the Sun and circling it at 17.27 km/s (62127 km/hr). Now, at 0430 UTC Aug 15, it is 120,000 km closer to the Sun and has picked up speed by a modest 187 km/hr

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Sunset Show - How Parker Solar Probe Helps NASA

NASA Video

Опубликовано: 15 авг. 2018 г.

Early in the morning of Aug. 12, NASA launched Parker Solar Probe, humanity's first mission to the Sun. This spacecraft will fly closer to the Sun than any before it, in a daring journey facing brutal heat and radiation.

Parker Solar Probe sets its sights on the Sun's scorching outer atmosphere, called the corona, in order to solve our star's greatest mysteries. It will revolutionize our understanding not only of the Sun, but also the space around us, and even the lives of stars beyond our solar system — crucial information as we explore more of space.

On Aug. 10, Scientists and mission experts gathered at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a live sunset show — one of the last times the Sun set on Parker Solar Probe before it launched — to talk about what this landmark mission will teach us of the Sun.

Guests included:
- Jim Spann, Chief Solar Scientist, NASA HQ
- Yari Collado-Vega, Space Weather Scientist, NASA Goddard
- C. Alex Young, Solar Scientist, NASA Goddard
- Nicola Fox, Parker Solar Probe Project Scientist, JHU Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)

(32:33)

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Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 27 мин. назад

At 0h UTC Aug 16, @ParkerSunProbe is 3.9 million km from Earth. Since entering solar orbit it has dropped 224,000 km closer to the Sun and picked up speed by 84 m/s (302 km/hr)

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Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 4 мин. назад

At 4.8 million km from Earth, @ParkerSunProbe is falling behind our world at a million km per day. Since entering solar orbit it has dropped 344,000 km closer to the Sun and picked up speed by 126 m/s (453 km/hr)

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Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 4 мин. назад

Here is @ParkerSunProbe's distance from the Sun vs time. Red line is 10 million km. Green line is avge dist of Earth from Sun (PSP is still a bit outside that for now!) Each orbit dips down then back out; Venus flybys bring the orbit slowly closer to Sun



4 мин. назад

And here is @ParkerSunProbe's velocity relative to the Sun. It moves slowly at aphelion (furthest point in each orbit from Sun) and very quickly at perihelion (closest points to Sun)

Исправление

Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 8 сек. назад

Here is @ParkerSunProbe's velocity relative to the Sun. It moves slowly at aphelion (furthest point in each orbit from Sun) and very quickly at perihelion (closest points to Sun). Red line is current heliocentric speed record set by Helios 2 in Apr 1976

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NASA Sun & Space‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASASun 3 ч. назад

#ParkerSolarProbe has hit some mission milestones! https://go.nasa.gov/2Bgx02M 
High-gain antenna released from locks that held it stable during launch
FIELDS antennas unclamped
Magnetometer boom fully deployed

https://blogs.nasa.gov/parkersolarprobe/2018/08/17/parker-solar-probe-marks-first-mission-milestones-on-voyage-to-sun/

Parker Solar Probe Marks First Mission Milestones on Voyage to Sun

Rob Garner
Posted Aug 17, 2018 at 10:26 am

Just two days after launch on Aug. 11, 2018, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, NASA's Parker Solar Probe achieved several planned milestones toward full commissioning and operations, announced mission controllers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, or APL, in Laurel, Maryland.

On Aug. 13, the high-gain antenna, which Parker Solar Probe uses to communicate high-rate science data to Earth, was released from locks which held it stable during launch. Controllers have also been monitoring the spacecraft as it autonomously uses its thrusters to remove (or "dump") momentum, which is part of the flight operations of the spacecraft. Managing momentum helps the spacecraft remain in a stable and optimal flight profile.


The United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket launches NASA's Parker Solar Probe on its voyage to the Sun, Aug. 12, 2018, from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Parker Solar Probe is humanity's first-ever mission into the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. Here it will directly explore solar processes that are key to understanding and forecasting space weather events that can impact life on Earth.
Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

There are four instrument suites on board Parker Solar Probe, which will each need to be powered and readied for science data collection. The FIELDS investigation, which consists of the most elements, went first. It was powered up on Aug. 13 for two activities. First was the opening of the clamps which held four of the five FIELDS antennas stowed during takeoff. These antennas will be deployed roughly 30 days after launch, and they will stick out from the corners of the spacecraft's heat shield — called the Thermal Protection System — and be exposed to the harsh solar environment. Second, the spacecraft's magnetometer boom was fully deployed. This boom contains three magnetometers and a fifth, smaller electric field antenna, all part of the FIELDS suite. Further instrument check-outs and deployments are scheduled in the coming days for the spacecraft.

As of 12:00 p.m. EDT on Aug. 16, Parker Solar Probe was 2.9 million miles from Earth, traveling at 39,000 miles per hour, and heading toward its first Venus flyby scheduled for Oct. 3, 2018, at 4:44 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will use Venus to slightly slow itself and adjust its trajectory for an optimal path toward first perihelion of the Sun on Nov. 5, 2018, at 10:27 p.m. EST (Nov. 6, 2018, at 03:27 UTC).

"Parker Solar Probe is operating as designed, and we are progressing through our commissioning activities," said Project Manager Andy Driesman of APL. "The team — which is monitoring the spacecraft 24 hours a day, seven days a week — is observing nominal data from the systems as we bring them on-line and prepare Parker Solar Probe for its upcoming initial Venus gravity assist."

By Geoff Brown
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab

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Deltish IV Parker Sorta Probe: ULA's Patrick Moore Visits the Kerbal Space Academy

United Launch Alliance

Опубликовано: 16 авг. 2018 г.

ULA systems engineer Patrick Moore recently joined the Kerbal Space Academy to talk about the Parker Solar Probe mission and Delta IV Heavy rocket. Patrick provided realistic flight commentary as KSA instructor DasValdez launched his own "Deltish IV" rocket carrying a "Parker Sorta Probe", built using stock parts in Kerbal Space Program. Kerbal Space Program footage and still images courtesy of Private Division and Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.

(15:00)

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https://nasa.tumblr.com/post/177093627469/in-conversation-with-the-sun-parker-solar-probe

In Conversation with the Sun: Parker Solar Probe Communications

Our Sun powers life on Earth. It defines our days, nourishes our crops and even fuels our electrical grids. In our pursuit of knowledge about the universe, we've learned so much about the Sun, but in many ways we're still in conversation with it, curious about its mysteries.

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Parker Solar Probe will advance this conversation, flying through the Sun's atmosphere as close as 3.8 million miles from our star's surface, more than seven times closer to it than any previous spacecraft. If space were a football field, with Earth at one end and the Sun at the other, Parker would be at the four-yard line, just steps away from the Sun! This journey will revolutionize our understanding of the Sun, its surface and solar winds.

Supporting Parker on its journey to the Sun are our communications networks. Three networks, the Near Earth Network, the Space Network and the Deep Space Network, provide our spacecraft with their communications, delivering their data to mission operations centers. Their services ensure that missions like Parker have communications support from launch through the mission. 

For Parker's launch on Aug. 12, the Delta IV Heavy rocket that sent Parker skyward relied on the Space Network. A team at Goddard Space Flight Center's Networks Integration Center monitored the launch, ensuring that we maintained tracking and communications data between the rocket and the ground. This data is vital, allowing engineers to make certain that Parker stays on the right path towards its orbit around the Sun. 

The Space Network's constellation of Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS) enabled constant communications coverage for the rocket as Parker made its way out of Earth's atmosphere. These satellites fly in geosynchronous orbit, circling Earth in step with its rotation, relaying data from spacecraft at lower altitudes to the ground. The network's three collections of TDRS over the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans provide enough coverage for continuous communications for satellites in low-Earth orbit.

The Near Earth Network's Launch Communications Segment tracked early stages of Parker's launch, testing our brand new ground stations' ability to provide crucial information about the rocket's initial velocity (speed) and trajectory (path). When fully operational, it will support launches from the Kennedy spaceport, including upcoming Orion missions. The Launch Communications Segment's three ground stations are located at Kennedy Space Center; Ponce De Leon, Florida; and Bermuda.  

When Parker separated from the Delta IV Heavy, the Deep Space Network took over. Antennas up to 230 feet in diameter at ground stations in California, Australia and Spain are supporting Parker for its 24 orbits around the Sun and the seven Venus flybys that gradually shrink its orbit, bringing it closer and closer to the Sun. The Deep Space Network is delivering data to mission operations centers and will continue to do so as long as Parker is operational.

Near the Sun, radio interference and the heat load on the spacecraft's antenna makes communicating with Parker a challenge that we must plan for. Parker has three distinct communications phases, each corresponding to a different part of its orbit.

When Parker comes closest to the Sun, the spacecraft will emit a beacon tone that tells engineers on the ground about its health and status, but there will be very little opportunity to command the spacecraft and downlink data. High data rate transmission will only occur during a portion of Parker's orbit, far from the Sun. The rest of the time, Parker will be in cruise mode, taking measurements and being commanded through a low data rate connection with Earth.

Communications infrastructure is vital to any mission. As Parker journeys ever closer to the center of our solar system, each byte of downlinked data will provide new insight into our Sun. It's a mission that continues a conversation between us and our star that has lasted many millions of years and will continue for many millions more.

For more information about NASA's mission to touch the Sun: https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/parker-solar-probe

For more information about our satellite communications check out: http://nasa.gov/SCaN

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Rocket Cam! Delta IV Parker Solar Probe

United Launch Alliance

Опубликовано: 16 авг. 2018 г.

LIftoff through separation of the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage from the booster.

(5:52)